Oil prices fall after Trump holds off on Iran strike

Oil prices fell about 2% on Friday, as President Donald Trump holds off for now on helping Israel to destroy OPEC member Iran’s nuclear program.

Global benchmark Brent fell $1.84, or 2.33%, to close at $77.01 per barrel. U.S. crude oil shed $1.30, or 1.73%, to settle at $73.84 per barrel.

Trump said Thursday that he would make his decision on striking Iran within the next two weeks, but wanted to provide space for potential negotiations to take place over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said in a statement read aloud by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday.

Though Trump is holding back, Israel is escalating its attacks on Iran after eight days of conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered Israel’s military to intensify its strikes on strategic and government targets in Iran, after an Iranian missile hit a major hospital in southern Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.